Who pays the IBI when you buy or sell a house and how you can easily calculate it
The Real Estate Tax (IBI) is one of the most important municipal taxes and also one of the ones that generates the most doubts. buy or sell a home. Although it is a relatively simple tax, since it is paid once a year and taxes the ownership of a property, the question Who should pay it, the buyer or the seller? always appears.
In Spain, the general rule is very clear, the person obliged to pay the IBI is who own the property as of January 1 of the current year. That is, the City Council identifies the owner who appears on that date and sends him the complete annual receipt. Consequently, if a person sells their house on February 15, July 3 or December 31, The IBI for the entire year is paid in full by the sellerbecause he was the owner on January 1.
The regulations do not depend on the municipality, but are included in the Local Treasury Law. However, in practice, many purchase and sale operations include a private agreement between the parties so that the buyer and the seller distribute the IBI proportionally to the number of months enjoyed in the home.
How is IBI calculated?
The tax is calculated from the cadastral value of the property, a figure set by the Cadastre and that takes into account elements such as the location, the age of the building, the surface area or the use of the land. You can check the cadastral value in the last IBI receipt, at the Electronic Headquarters of the Cadastre or at City Hall.
Once you know the cadastral value, the final amount depends on the tax rate that each municipality applies. This percentage is set by the City Council and is usually between 0.4% and 1.1% for urban homes. To calculate it, a basic operation is enough: IBI = cadastral value × municipality tax rate.
